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4.03 AVERAGE
4.03 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ich habe lange nicht mehr so geweint bei einem Buch… Aber nicht nur ist die Geschichte unglaublich emotional, sondern vor allem spannend. Wir begleiten in der Geschichte den unerfahrenen Pflichtverteidiger Caspar, der den Mörder seines Ziehvaters verteidigen soll und damit unter moralischen Zweifeln steht. Außerdem ist der Mord an sich rätselhaft, da der Schuldige kein Wort mehr zu sagen scheint. Die Auflösung war mehr als emotional und ich habe wie bei jeden Ferdinand von Schirach Buch einiges zugelernt. Absolute Empfehlung, vor allem die Hörspielvariante des Buches, welche die Geschichte nochmal zum Leben erweckt hat.
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
pretty good. had me gagged on the last few pages.
just re-read it and it was even better than the first time reading it!
just re-read it and it was even better than the first time reading it!
‘Madness alone was lord of all this land.’
From its shockingly violent start to its equally shocking and moving end, this short novella pulls the reader in to a story of guilt, revenge and reassessment of the past.
We know from the beginning that Collini is guilty of a horrific murder, but we don’t know his motive. It seems there can be no justification that would make his actions understandable let alone forgivable. Young defence lawyer Casper Leinen has to solve the riddle of the motive without the help of his client who seems to be completely fatalistic about the outcome of the trial.
The first half of the book concentrates on the story of Leinen’s youth and his friendship with the grandson of the future murder victim. We see the old man as a family man and a kind mentor to the youthful Leinen making his subsequent murder even more incomprehensible. The second half of the book concentrates on the trial and takes place partly in the courtroom and partly in flashback to Collini’s boyhood. The last 60 pages or so are intense, shocking and deeply moving and more than make up for the rather slower pace of the earlier part of the novel. Turning on a little-known legal point, the author’s anger shows through as he considers Germany’s war-time past and how attitudes to guilt and innocence have changed over the last few decades.
Well written and well translated, this is a short but powerful book that is far more than just another courtroom story – highly recommended.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
From its shockingly violent start to its equally shocking and moving end, this short novella pulls the reader in to a story of guilt, revenge and reassessment of the past.
We know from the beginning that Collini is guilty of a horrific murder, but we don’t know his motive. It seems there can be no justification that would make his actions understandable let alone forgivable. Young defence lawyer Casper Leinen has to solve the riddle of the motive without the help of his client who seems to be completely fatalistic about the outcome of the trial.
The first half of the book concentrates on the story of Leinen’s youth and his friendship with the grandson of the future murder victim. We see the old man as a family man and a kind mentor to the youthful Leinen making his subsequent murder even more incomprehensible. The second half of the book concentrates on the trial and takes place partly in the courtroom and partly in flashback to Collini’s boyhood. The last 60 pages or so are intense, shocking and deeply moving and more than make up for the rather slower pace of the earlier part of the novel. Turning on a little-known legal point, the author’s anger shows through as he considers Germany’s war-time past and how attitudes to guilt and innocence have changed over the last few decades.
Well written and well translated, this is a short but powerful book that is far more than just another courtroom story – highly recommended.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
dark
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Although this is technically a mystery it's more a story about how history can cause a murder to happen. Wonderful book.